#46: The Truth Behind the Gold Medal
Most of us have a very idealized version of the Olympics. Who among us hasn’t had a fantasy of winning Olympic gold and becoming the owner of a rare, pure gold medal? Well, we hate to be the bearers of bad news. Those Olympic gold medals aren’t made completely of gold. In fact, they’re mostly comprised of sterling silver!
Every Olympic medal’s composition is designated and monitored by the International Olympic Committee, or IOC. The IOC requires every gold medal to be made of sterling silver and coated with “a least 6 grams of pure gold.” Don’t be too heartbroken about this news. Pure gold is very soft. If Olympic gold medals were literally made of pure gold, they wouldn’t be able to withstand everyday wear and tear.